Top Tracks 2015 Part IV 70–61
70. Grimes – California (Art Angels)
Art Angels was Grimes´ way of shutting down the harsh criticism following her single "Go" and the prospect of a bad followup to 2012´s superb Visions. Reportedly, after "Go"´s fallout, Grimes scrapped her previous work and created Art Angels. California, a very Grimes mixture of sweet catchy melodies and a good amount of strange sounds (this time with a little country feel), is a hate-anthem against Pitchfork and music critics in general. Well, I myself didn´t really care that much for "Go" as it lacked a certain kind of edge you´d expect from Grimes. As she sings "I get carried away commodifying all the pain", the statement is clear: her intent on making somewhat "happier" music was panned and the critics are calling for sad music. After hearing the song and Art Angels in full, you´ll get the idea that she has found a way of breaking this stupid dichotomy and is happily flipping a finger at bourgeois opinions about her music.
Check out the video for Flesh Without Blood/Life In The Vivid Dream and expect the video for California in 2016:
69. Lim Kim – Awoo (Simple Mind)
Korean Pop is getting a some play in the west right now. Moreover it is not just being lauded for its hang of being over the top pop music with an overtly artificial edge hanging over it. Either way, I´d rather hear what it is deemed to be empty K-Pop over many other western stars trying their hands on these unique aesthetics (for example the shitty music of Miley Cyrus). Lim Kim´s music is very straightforward without total excess into the plastic. Awoo has a beat that is reminiscent of the A$AP Rocky & Skrillex blend of trap and dubstep, but is better handled by Lim Kim´s singing. Its a given that this music is sweet and not too deep, but catchy and rewarding pop nonetheless.
68. Nao – Apple Cherry (February 15)
The comparison of Nao to FKA twigs isn´t just a made up connect because of twigs dominance and avant position in the genre of r´n´b right now. There are similarities, especially in the way Nao´s voice is mixed and lifts itself up into a sharp tone when it hits the high marks. But, if twigs is always throwing some new variation into the mix and wants her music to be experimental, Nao´s blend of sound and vocal work is down to earth and grounded in soul and traditional r´n´b songwriting. Apple Cherry is "normal" when compared to something twigs would have done, but remains a touching and sensual experience using the most recent instrumental elements of the genre.
67. Mbongwana Star – Malukayi (From Kinshasa)
African space music. Let that thought sit with you for a while and then be blasted by the wonderful groove of Malukayi. You can take the the long way and search for the "ethnic" / "world" elements and the mixture with synths and what sounds known for western listeners, but you´ll find this to be difficult and unnecessary in Mbongwana Star. The steel drum melody running through the whole song carries like a feedback noise from a different planet and the whole drum section is the perfect blend: using tin and other (scrap-)metals to blast into aural futurism.
66. Aurora – Running With The Wolves (Running With The Wolves)
Sometimes I catch up late on what is being praised in the radio and charts. Aurora together with Years&Years marks one of the chases, where the hype is just and actually good music is given the credit it deserves. Running With The Wolves shows the singer delivering a really dark and frustrating song with a great sensibility for pop music. Her appearance might play a role in lyrics like “there´s Blood On Your Lies” not being commented upon in the media, which can be a good thing. With this kind of gripping music I´m sure her full length album next years will be loved by critics and the public alike.
65. Kacy Hill – Foreign Fields (Bloo)
Think James Blake with a esoteric and fantastic mindset sung by a female singer. Foreign Fields is the standout track of Kacy Hill´s first EP Bloo. The other songs don´t hold up well against this tender song with a heart- and drum-pounding climax. Yearning is a recurring theme in music, but Hill´s take on the unknown, the "foreign fields" captures the bittersweet feeling in all its nuance.
64. Asian Dub Foundation – Fall of The House of Cards (More Signal More Noise)
Most people will think Need For Speed Underground and “Fortress Europa” when seeing this name and while I feel that Asian Dub Foundation have had their peak in these years, their musical style (and content!) is still very much welcome and needed in today´s music. With Fall of The House of Cards the band goes full bhangra and take their signature style into great heights. The folky Punjab group vocals carry the energized drum and bass band setup and blend a campy feeling with the affective force of a massive riot. While many hold M.I.A. to be one of the first politically charged Asian artists, Asian Dub Foundation must be considered the forefathers of connecting the political with grand beats and seemingly uplifting agitation. The simple shouts of “Watch Them Fall!” and “Find Liberation!” while being very general, still carry energy and this energy alone is sometimes enough to begin a thought process about political situations and misdeeds around the world.
63. Jeremih – oui (Late Nights: The Album)
Jeremih made his release and his spot on this list quite late and I´m happy to include a well-written and detailed r´n´b track this year. I´m a huge fan of The Dream and Jeremih´s approach seems inspired by the best moments of Dream´s greatest work. Oui´s little twinkle around the bumping beat is the whole vibe of this song in a nutshell: a dream-like, a little silly, "singing in the rain" moment of charming seduction.
62. Actors&Actresses – Like A Shadow (Pyre)
Actors&Actresses surfaced to deliver their demise. Pyre for me was long awaited and marks the end of the group as well. Since Arrows I held Actors&Actresses to be one of the best bands to come from the Mylene Sheath roster. Their music is downtrodden and pained, but keeps a sense of self and song-structure, that could have made them suited for bigger success. As bands like Failure reemerge from the depths and deliver iterations of their greatest work, I´d love to have seen how Actors&Actresses age and push their drive into new directions. But things do end, and Like A Shadow is a way of saying goodbye. Undiscernible if stoic or sad, the simple melody at the beginning thrives and warps through elegy and builds a plotline of memories playing against each other as a great band takes its leave.
61. Nicole Dollanganger – Poacher´s Pride (Natural Born Losers)
Before going into Natural Born Losers, go check out Dollangangers 2014 release Observatory Mansions. Her previous full-length is a much purer expression of the bedroom pop she makes. Not to say that this year´s release is worse because of the better production, but as Dollanganger, judging from her content might agree, it is much better to look at the guts and skeleton first, before looking at the stitches on the scared body. With this little metaphor, Poacher´s Pride has Dollanganger describing her killing and stuffing an angel while not feeling any remorse. Connecting this morbid content with the also angelic voice of Dollanganger, will open up the strange appeal of her soul-piercing music.
Comments
Post a Comment